12GB of RAM vs. 16GB of RAM? Anyone feeling the difference?

Mike Dee

Ambassador
May 14, 2014
23,368
192
63
Visit site
I guess my question then would be is Android pre loading all these apps for you so they are already in memory before you request to open them?
Because on my Note 9 outside of services it is not preloading RAM with apps. The apps still have the initial load into RAM.

So unless I am actively using enough apps to fill up existing RAM forcing it to close some I dont ever see the benefit of more RAM.

I'm not saying more RAM is completely useless. It has its use cases but I just dont see the average use case needing it or benefitting from it.
I see it as an extra drain on your battery and your wallet.
Your battery will actually drain faster if you don't have enough RAM for your use case which will result in a lot of swapping.
 

Mike Dee

Ambassador
May 14, 2014
23,368
192
63
Visit site
Think 12GB will be fine for my usage with 128GB of storage for the note ultra when it’s out
12GB is more than adequate for RAM. 6 to 8 seems to be the expected minimum by most, however even 4 still works good enough. Storage is debatable based on needs and 128 works well except for users with lots of files. At that point a micro SD card comes in handy.
 

cardboard60

Well-known member
Apr 10, 2014
3,610
1
0
Visit site
12GB is more than adequate for RAM. 6 to 8 seems to be the expected minimum by most, however even 4 still works good enough. Storage is debatable based on needs and 128 works well except for users with lots of files. At that point a micro SD card comes in handy.

I thought the note 20 wasn't gonna have a SD card.
Only the plus and ultra was..
Correct me if I'm wrong.
 

trucksmoveamerica#AC

Trusted Member
Jul 20, 2010
8,069
657
113
Visit site
Yes they do.

But it is an easy marketing term for the uninformed and ignorant.

It allows manufacturers to increase the profits on a phone by charging extra.

Not everyone is tech savy so they just go off numbers without a real understanding of the meaning behind them.

Heck my 2 year old Note "only" has 6gb ram and there is usually 3gb of free ram.
How often has all 6gb been used? NOT ONCE
That's because your phone is designed not to use it all. Get a 12 ram phone and you will use 9 at times. Most people didn't get the higher price phone for the ram, that was just a bonus, extra. Most got it for the 512 internal memory, but that's just marketing for the uninformed and ignorant.

I paid a extra $150 to step up to 512 over 128, plus the few other extra perks that I consider just extra. Wonder what apple would have charged to step up that much memory. I don't think I was uninformed or ignorant, I think I researched it plenty.
 

Morty2264

Ambassador
Mar 6, 2012
22,922
1,053
113
Visit site
Once the option is presented it becomes a case of 'I'd rather have it and not need it...' and vice versa.

That is a good point. Better to err on the side of caution, right? For me though, I still know I'll be good with the lower-RAM models so I tend to not worry about that, and enjoy the slightly-lower price tag. 🤣
 

cknobman

Well-known member
May 15, 2018
258
0
0
Visit site
That's because your phone is designed not to use it all. Get a 12 ram phone and you will use 9 at times. Most people didn't get the higher price phone for the ram, that was just a bonus, extra. Most got it for the 512 internal memory, but that's just marketing for the uninformed and ignorant.

I paid a extra $150 to step up to 512 over 128, plus the few other extra perks that I consider just extra. Wonder what apple would have charged to step up that much memory. I don't think I was uninformed or ignorant, I think I researched it plenty.

My post wasnt a blanket statement for everyone. Like you said you researched it and knew what you were getting.
You have use cases for paying extra and knew you would make use of it.

A large majority of consumers are not like us and dont use their phones like us.
They think more is better without understanding what they really need for their use case.

This is where manufacturers make tons of money because they can increase the BOM on their product by a few dollars but charge hundreds more to the end consumer.

This tactic isnt exclusive to smartphones either, it happens across all consumer products.

So is there a noticeable difference between 12gb and 16gb RAM? For 90+% of people out there, NO.
 

trucksmoveamerica#AC

Trusted Member
Jul 20, 2010
8,069
657
113
Visit site
My post wasnt a blanket statement for everyone. Like you said you researched it and knew what you were getting.
You have use cases for paying extra and knew you would make use of it.

A large majority of consumers are not like us and dont use their phones like us.
They think more is better without understanding what they really need for their use case.

This is where manufacturers make tons of money because they can increase the BOM on their product by a few dollars but charge hundreds more to the end consumer.

This tactic isnt exclusive to smartphones either, it happens across all consumer products.

So is there a noticeable difference between 12gb and 16gb RAM? For 90+% of people out there, NO.
True, but in here we are talking to the 10% that you referenced. I agree that most are not even going to know about the 512's and 16 ram if they do to a store. Most people are just interested in a base model, in fact I think most shouldn't even look at a flagship phone as just just want a phone to text, Facebook, and use the web here and there. A basic smart phone is enough for most people. It's funny when I tell people what I do with my phone, they look at me like "what are you talking about". Lol

I guess I was just referencing most of us in here
 

Nostromo79

Well-known member
Mar 29, 2016
612
0
0
Visit site
That is a good point. Better to err on the side of caution, right? For me though, I still know I'll be good with the lower-RAM models so I tend to not worry about that, and enjoy the slightly-lower price tag. ??????

Certainly you'd be okay. In a vacuum, 4 or 6 gigs would be fantastic to have.
 

Nostromo79

Well-known member
Mar 29, 2016
612
0
0
Visit site
That is a good point. Better to err on the side of caution, right? For me though, I still know I'll be good with the lower-RAM models so I tend to not worry about that, and enjoy the slightly-lower price tag. ??????

Morty, I appreciate your enthusiasm. Don't ever lose it.
 

Trending Posts

Forum statistics

Threads
942,410
Messages
6,913,956
Members
3,158,400
Latest member
m1000